stevia diabetesIf you’re looking for a stevia diabetes control formula I’m glad you found this site. I’m going to share some of what I know about the herb stevia for diabetes and some of the other benefits of it.

But before I get into why I personally feel stevia is a powerful sweetener, first let me share with you some background on stevia.

Stevia And Diabetes Explained

Stevia is a very popular herb, which comes from the stevia rebaudiana plant. It has been used for centuries in its native Paraguay as a sweetener. It contains compounds called steviol glycosides that are up to 300 times sweeter than sugar.

Stevia comes in liquid or powder form and can be found in your local health food store as well as some grocery stores.

Most of the studies involving stevia’s efficacy on blood sugar involve rats. The same as used for pharmaceutical drugs. Two Denmark clinical studies in rats have shown reduced blood sugar levels when using stevia with the standardized extract being shown to be more effective in lowering blood sugar.

In another study done in 2013 on diabetic rats, stevia leaves were found to have a protective effect on kidney and liver function.

Stevia has also been widely studied for its effects on:

  • Blood pressure
  • Blood sugar lowering
  • Inflammation
  • Diarrhea
  • Cancer
  • Urine production
  • Alcohol and tobacco cravings
  • Weight loss

I first gave Stevia a try as a means for balancing my blood sugar because I was tired of the artificial sweeteners. Plus, I have my doubts as to which ones are healthy. So I wanted a healthier alternative.

I searched all of the literature and I couldn’t find a single bad thing about Stevia. So I started off adding it to my tea. Then I’d add it in my oatmeal for breakfast instead of fruit because I feared the fruit would screw up my blood sugar.

The funny thing was, before long I was adding it to everything. My Kale (veggies), my shakes…you name it.

I would drop the little dropper into everything (I prefer the stevia extract in the liquid form). The label says not to use more than a drop or two, but I always used much more than that.

Then to my surprise one day, I started feeling an itchy feeling all over around lunchtime. Kind of like something was crawling on my skin. I also felt jittery like I had just gulped a double shot of expresso. This was one of the weirdest feelings!

I also had this chill that would run through me and I asked myself, “What is going on?” So knowing as much as I do about diabetes, I decided to test my blood sugar. And to my surprise, my blood sugar was VERY low. It was 70, which for me was low and my body felt it.

So the only takeaway here is – be careful with stevia. It can work TOO good sometimes and lower your blood sugar quite a bit. Also, be careful if you’re on medicines which cause low blood sugar such as sulfonylureas.

Or if you’re taking insulin, you might want to just use a drop or two instead of the whole dropper like I did.

One last thing, stevia does produce an aftertaste, which takes some getting used to.

Click here to read about other natural ways JUST LIKE Stevia to lower your blood sugar…

Please consult with your physician before applying any of this material.

Similar Posts:

{ 0 comments }

diet for diabeticsHaving the right diet for diabetics is a must these days. Around the world, 371 million people suffer from diabetes, which accounts for over $400 billion in healthcare costs. And that number is expected to balloon to 552 million people with diabetes by the year 2030.

WHOA! That’s over half a billion people.

Choosing the right kind of food helps you maintain balanced blood sugar levels if you have type 2 diabetes. And much of the literature also points to diet as one of the leading factors for developing type 2 diabetes in the first place.

In my over 10 years working in this area, it is more obvious than ever now that a healthy diet for diabetics is critical. And to bring it back to basics all this really consists of are meals high in nutrients, which are lower in calories and also low in bad fats (saturated fats).

Diet For Diabetics Explained

Here are 5 basic tips for a healthful diet for diabetes to help balance your blood sugar and keep you healthy:

1) Eat food only when you are hungry. Try having 5 small meals instead of 3 large meals. This will help better with your metabolism and will help in reducing blood sugar levels. Also stop eating until you’re full.

My mom was from the south and as a kid she would get upset with me whenever I didn’t clean the plate at mealtime. So trust me I’m not pointing any fingers here.  But it  certainly isn’t the healthiest to clean the plate, especially if your portion size is too large to begin with.

2) Focus on choosing foods that are high fiber carbohydrates. High fiber carbs release sugar into your bloodstream more slowly and help you to keep your blood sugar levels balanced.

These are metabolized more slowly so the insulin production is reduced. They also provide you with energy that lasts for hours and don’t make you feel hungry as fast.

A couple of slow releasing carbohydrates are:

  • Brown rice
  • Sweet potatoes (my favorite)
  • Whole wheat pasta
  • Oats

Avoid sugar cereals and white rice or white bread.

3) Include foods in your diet that have a lower glycemic index. The GI determines how quickly food is converted into sugar within our body.

It is said that high glycemic index foods increase blood sugar more, while low glycemic index foods do it to a lesser degree.

You should include foods that have a low glycemic index and are high in fiber in your diet. Such foods may be nuts, seafood, lean meats, and beans.

I don’t consider the glycemic index to be the end-all-be-all. I also think the glycemic load of foods comes into play as well as well as other things. I’ll save my opinions for another time. Ultimately, your blood glucose meter is your guide. But the GI is a good gauge.

Also, add healthful grains, and unprocessed foods such as brown rice as I mentioned before.
Limit sweets as much as you can. Once in a blue moon sweets are Okay though.

Include more lean meat such as chicken, turkey, fish and fish such. Try to take off the skin. If you can’t live without the skin, try maybe one day on, one day taking it off until you can graduate to no skin.

4) Reduce the amount of soft drinks and soda you drink. They are high calories and also high in sugar which will cause spikes in your blood sugar levels. Also, avoid having sugar with your coffee or tea. Try Stevia instead.

I haven’t found anything bad on Stevia out there and I’ve searched the literature high and low. So try to make it your sweetener of choice. I put it in everything. And it has been found to have some health benefits, including LOWERING blood sugar.

5) Avoid fatty foods. Choose only unsaturated fats. These are considered good fats. These come in the form of vegetable oils such as olive oil and canola oil, and even nuts are considered a healthy fat.

You can also include foods which contain omega 3 fatty acids. Omega-3’s contain anti-inflammatory properties as well as many other health benefits, including improving heart health.

Omega-3 fatty acids are awesome! I take omega-3 fatty acids every morning with my other vitamins. Foods high in omega-3 include cold water oily fish such as salmon, and mackerel.

So I really hope this helped you. It may even sound a little elementary but it isn’t any more complicated than this. The foundation of any diet for diabetics all comes down to these 5 tips.

Apart from following this diet, regular exercise is also very important. But if you did nothing else but worked on your diet, you’d be ahead of the game when it comes to type 2 diabetes.

Click here to see the program that has helped hundreds of people enjoy food while escaping the shackles of a diabetic diet…

Stay healthy!

Similar Posts:

{ 0 comments }

What Is Diabetic Nerve Pain?

It’s like the saying, “the squeaky wheel gets the oil.” And when it comes to diabetic nerve pain, it can definitely get your attention. Diabetic nerve pain or the medical term, diabetic neuropathy, is one of the most painful complications of type 2 diabetes. Some of the doctors that I work with have actually said [...]

Continue →

Diabetes and Sex Problems

Uncontrolled blood sugar can really affect your love life. But it doesn’t have to be this way. And I know it can be uncomfortable to have “that conversation” during a doctor’s visit. You may even put it off or avoid it altogether. So here in this article, I’m going to share with you some of [...]

Continue →

Cholesterol and Diabetes

One of the biggest concerns of type 2 diabetes is cardiovascular disease. And one of the cardiovascular risk factors that you can control is cholesterol levels. Cholesterol isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But in high levels it can be. The thing about cholesterol is not only does your body need it for numerous bodily functions, [...]

Continue →